The Black Year
by Dear Aunt Elladora
Summary: At a time before Harry Potter, the school was divided by blood. The Blacks enjoy their later Hogwarts years. Features a bickering Head Boy and Girl, a dark Bellatrix and a torn Sirius. Regular appearances made by Regulus and the Mauraders.
1. Default Chapter

The day Andromeda Black was to begin her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, it rained. Not light, misty rain that seemed to hang over London in a wet haze, but heavy drops that rolled in with black clouds and white hot lightning pelted the city. The taxi one of the house elves had accquirred sped along the crowded streets, and by the time they'd reached the station,Kings' Crosswas packed with travelers.

Bella scoffed dissaprovingly at the muggles and Sirius swallowed, silent. Andromeda wondered about him; he had been all sorts of odd this summer and it was somewhat frightening. He and Bella, who had once seemed so close, were beginning to slip apart for no apparentreason. Andromeda's mother and aunt had sent the four Black children - Andromeda, who was 16, Sirius and Bellatrix, both 15, and Regulus, 13 - with Cissa, who had graduated the year earlier,to the train station.

Cissa tightened her grip on Reggie's shoulder as they jostled through the crowd and Meda followed the pack, keeping the three black heads and one shining blond in focus. They slid through the platform wall with their Black-like agility, and were almost immeaditly greeted with the familiar mass. Andromeda felt a warm hand on her shoulder and began to melt into the masculine embrace before realizing who it was.

"Evan!" Narcissa said in suprise at the figure behind Andromeda. The dark-headed boy came into the circle and wrapped Narcissa in a hug, she smiled and wished him good year. He moved to embrace Bella and she smirked darkly in his direction, which sent this odd shiver down Meda's spine. Since when had Bella been so close to Rosier? Sirius gave him a sharp look with his greeting, and soon Evan's smaller brother came into their circle as well, along with his friends.

Narcissa chose this moment for her departure and hugged Reggie with all her might, kissing his forehead. She wrapped Andromeda and Bellatrix in a simeaotaneous hug, whispering how she'd miss being the Unholy Trinity with them. She ruffled Sirius's hair affectionatly. It seemed that she'd been so different all this summer - less standoffish and cold, and more interested in their affairs. It was almost like... she was in love? It wasn't true, of course, there was no ring - but, there lacked another reason for her sudden character change.

It seemed as if the full group was there and the purebloods made their way through the crowds of families, being sure to accidently roughly push past a few mothers wrapping their first years in matronly embraces. Bella would whisper a harsh joke to Montague and the boys would laugh lightly - making Andromeda all the bit more edgy.

They continued until Evan accidentally bumped into a boy he couldn't help but talk to. "Well, well, well," he smirked, "if it isn't Gryff blood scum and his little lackey."

"Shut up, Rosier," the fifteen-year-old with coal black, flyaway hair said through clenched teeth. A shorter, rounder boy with fair skin cut infront the other, blocking him from Evan.

A shout of, "James! Peter!" interrupted his next retort as a taller boy who looked sickly appeared to them, a red haired girl in tow. He took recognition of the tense scene a bit to late as the redhead's eyes widened, her hand, unseen by the Slytherins, gripped the back of Remus's threadbare t-shirt.

Montague cut infront Evan, his voice sarcastic, "Sirius. Aren't these your _housemates_?" The group seemed to suck in air collectively. Sirius's house was untouched conversation, having wedged such a deep rut in the family. It was tepid territory and Meda looked at Bella to confirm their interruption.

"Not by choice, of course," Bella chortled, shoving the jerk back into his position - _behind_ everyone.

"That's right," Meda continued, "Right Sirius?"

All of the pureblood elite looked at the olive-skinned boy expectantly. The Gryffindors looked at him with an odd look that was fairly ignored - a look of almost a challenge. Sirius looked around himself, then back to the Gryffindors. There was a pause that seemed to last an eternity before he finally piped up.

"Of course. You think I'd like to associate myself with _them?"_ The group mumbled a discord of _of course nots_ as they swept onto the train, past the fifth years. They continued to their compartment, forgetting the situation for the most part, but the pause was forever ingrained in Bella's mind.

"So," a boy named McKinnon said once they'd sat in smalltalk for a bit as the train raced on towards Hogwarts, "I heard you've made Head Girl, Andromeda."

Bella and Meda shared a smile before responding in the affirmative. The boys let out celebratory responses.

"It'll be good to have some of the right minds in the group," Marius MacNair put in, which everyone seemed to agree with in the full.

"What did Lucius think?" Regulus questioned.

Andromeda smiled brighter, looking at the ring on her finger with happy eyes. "Oh, he thought it was wonderful," she gushed. Lucius Malfoy was eighteen years old, and they had been dating for nearly 2 years when he asked for her hand at the beginning of the summer.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes but no one noticed but Sirius, who had sat oddly quiet throughout the entire trip, staring out the window. Andromeda excused herself soon after, changing into her green robes and heading toward the compartment where she'd meet with the rest of the Prefects and finally find out who the Head Boy was.

She was struggling with the badge and had her head tilted downwards in attempt to fasten in completely when she bumped directly into a warm body. She raised her head to snap at the boy when she noticed who it was. He was at least a foot taller, his shoulders broader and his jaw bones more defined - but there was no mistaking those blue eyes.

"Tonks," she spat.

"Black," he responded in the same nature, "having a little difficulty there?" he questioned, indicating toward her robes.

She looked down to notice her half-dangling pin and she fastened it swiftly in one moment. She raised her head to smirk at him, but instead found his eyes widened in shock, pinned to the gold.

"What?" she snapped before a glint caught her eye. She looked closer - on his navy Ravenclaw robes there was pinned a badge almost identical to hers, except with Boy instead of girl.

"Please tell me you're polishing that for some Hufflepuff?" She questioned hopefully.

He nodded his head no and with a sigh, she realized one thing out of all the day's questions -- this was going to be a _very _long year.

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**Author's note: **Christmas is right 'round the corner, folks, and Elladora has learned that Christmas fics are very fun to write with her little summer project known as _Yuletide Cheers._ Then I kinda thought, maybe it wasn't the season (which it was, in part, but) maybe it was just the _pairing. _So her little fic-blocked mind came up with a plot: what happened the months _before _YC? Then she began typing and Sirius and Reggie and Ciss and Bella all popped themselves in, feeling neglected, and ... along came this amazing huge plot! Elladora was suprised at her depth!

Okay, so if you've read my Blackfics, you'll get the characterizations. You don't have to read them, or YC, just saying if you like this and crave more because I might take ages on the updating (yeah right) you can just pop over to and ALAS! blackfic central!

Anyway, as far as plot goes -- the next chapter, Sirius will get backlash for his pre-train actions and there's a little more A&T interaction/banter/sexual tension ... well, kindof right now it's just hatred. Later on the Weasley family will make a visit (ee!) and we'll learn about Teddy's past and maybe we'll see little Lestrange and then some of the outgoing, womanizing Sirius we all love, and then enough tension to light a house on fire, and oh yeah! Secrets are abound OUTSIDE of Hogwarts... mwahah.

And, if I didn't confuse you, yayy! And please review.


	2. Dining

For a magical school with magical children, it seemed entirelytoo clicheto refer to the opening dinner at Hogwarts with the adjective _magical. _But without question, there was that lingering feeling in the air: something was starting, a new school year, and whether you were returning orfirstenteringa place you'd return to, the great, echoing halls seemed to fill you up with the excitement.

Or it should, but as they've prooved on numerous occasions, the Blacks do not fit the stereotype.

On one side of the chattering dining hall, bathed in crimson and gold, sat the Gryffindors. Always noble, always brave, and always... clique-ish? The unmistakeableJames Potter was seated having a rather boring-looking conversation with a mousy-looking chubby boy who'd nod his head eagerly every now and then. Across the table a couple feet down, a red-haired beauty felt vaguely uncomfortable sitting with her dormmates, idly listening to them chitter-chat on the latest fashions whilst squealing and stealing compliments. She looked up unassuradly at the moon's full circle and vaguely wondered about her best friend, a pale boy named Lupin, looking at the same moon from wherever he was this time. A lone outsider, Sirius Black, sat sulking and alone, though his surrounding housemates seemed not only comfortable, yet accustomed to, his actions.

Across the tables of the brilliant-in-blue Ravenclaws and the slower-than-honey Hufflepuffs sat the Slytherins, coated in all their silver-green glory. Engaging conversation seemed to always take place at their table, especially a thick throng of friends. Tonight the only female amongst the men was the pouty-lipped Bellatrix, though usually her two sisters were flanking either of her sides. The elder wasn't attending the school any longer, and at this moment in time was fratrenizing with a boy she'd simply forgotten to inform her family of.

The second sister, however, was in the middle of an office.

A sharp intake of breath left the girl's arms crossed tightly over her chest.

"Bla-ack," the boy seated beside her called, and in response recieved a highly agitated look from the blond, "Say something."

"What!" she hissed, eyes narrowed.

She was a wall of sleek intimidation, and any other sane being would back down before incurring the wrath of Andromeda Black.

Ted Tonks never prided himself on being any other sane being. "Just making sure you hadn't lost your speaking ability after all those harsh glares I've been on the recieving end of."

"Shouldn't those looks have told you something about how much I want to talk to you? Use that quarter inch of common sense you have. And don't end your sentences withprepositions."

About to fire back a comment (in fact, his mouth was even open), Ted was interrupted by the door of the office swinging open to reveal the austere Minevra McGonagall - Transfigurations professor, rule-abiding head of Gryffindor house and the closest thing to Deputy Headmistress anyone had ever seen. It'd been Dumbledore's goal for a couple years to appoint her to the position, but the Hogwarts board (filled with men who hated Dumbledore already enough not to put a half-bred woman into the position, no matter her skill) would hear nothing of it. Nonetheless, McGonagall managed to nearly fill all the jobs despite her lack of title.

"Mr. Tonks, Ms. Black. I hope your trip into school wasn't too tiring: you've got a long night ahead of you. A long year ahead of you, in fact, more than that thick envelope you recieved this summer could ever fully explain. This is just a briefing before the Opening Feast."

As the professor paused, the two simeaotaneously readjusted. As she explained some quick basics, they payed a rapt attention. Ted noticed, though, Andromeda would idly spin her a ring around her finger. He'd never noticed it any years before and wondered how it could mean much of anything now.

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**author's note: **it's two o'clock, I have to wake up early and it's two o'clock. Hiya, folks, I updated this. Miracle of all miracles. At one o'clock on a Saturday night I just missed this story and so. Here I am, or here I was, I feel like I'm whispering to you. Goodness knows when my next update will be. Stick with me, please? And a review wouldn't hurt, you know.


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